WRITING TIPS

How to Post Images Legally

I see many people ask how to get a picture of a personality or politician without infringing on copyright laws or relying on “fair use” as a legal exception.

In some cases, fair use of an online image could be legal, but do you know how that works?

Many try to explain this on YouTube and many other forums. Still, unless you have the money to fight a court claim, you probably should use a “free” image from Freepik, Rawpixel, Canva (which also has a great Infographic tool), or better yet, pay for one. Depositphotos has a really good deal starting at $0.22 per photo.

Someone probably holds exclusive rights to that photo, especially those used by newspapers or magazines that pay the photographer. Therefore, be careful when you claim fair use because those with a lot of money probably won’t think twice about hauling you into court and letting the judge decide.

According to Vydia, “Fair use is a legal doctrine that protects your right to use a portion of copyrighted material without getting permission from the original copyright owner. While it offers creators more flexibility to use content they do not own, if creators use it incorrectly it can lead to trouble down the road.”

The following is a YouTube video about fair use. You might be wondering why I can use the video in my article. It’s because I am merely providing a link to it on YouTube. If I cut part of it or take a screenshot, I could still have a legal issue, as you’ll discover if you watch this.

Fair use video on YouTube

If you find this video useful, “like” or subscribe on YouTube.

If you want, you can chance it, but I will not use someone else’s image without their permission, no more than I would like someone to copy my writing for their website and call it “fair use.” So, what’s fair about that?

It’s like stealing someone’s car, bringing it back a day later, and saying, “Well, you weren’t using it at the time, so it’s fair use. BS!

You could Google it!

This is what I do if I cannot find a decent image on Unsplash, Pixabay, Pexels, or another free service. Sometimes, I just pay for it if it is essential.

However, an easy method to find something particular that you can legally use is to Google it. Say you need a picture of Jimmy Carter or any public personality. Google Jimmy Cater signing an Executive Order or whatever you need him doing, like grinning, there are probably a thousand of those.

Then click Images, tools, Usage rights, and then Creative Commons. But, you’re still not there yet.

Although almost all of those hundreds of images are either Flickr, Wikimedia, or WikiCommons, you still need to click the image you want and follow instructions on using it legally.

But, don’t use a link on NewsBreak inside the image box. For some reason, it messes up the process, and your article could get rejected. Instead, you could put it down under that if a link is required, and you want to feel safer.

Final thoughts

Sometimes, when you use someone else’s work, it’s fair use, and that’s OK, but only a judge can decide if it is fair use, so sometimes it’s stealing, and “That’s a bad thing. That’s all I have to say about that.” to borrow a line from Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump.

Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Medium Top Writer in Travel, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, and Short Story.

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